WEXFORD COUNTY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – A body believed to resemble 22-year-old Rebecca Park – the pregnant Wexford County woman missing since November 3 – was discovered Tuesday, November 25 in the Manistee National Forest. The Wexford County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a body was found during a brief press conference.
The body was located by citizen searchers, not law enforcement. Volunteer Amy Letterman told UpNorthLive that she was alerted by Park’s father and a young man with him while they was out searching along a two-track near the mother’s home in Boon Township. After being called over to look at a video, Letterman said she approached the area and immediately recognized the body. “It was Rebecca,” she told the outlet.
Officials holding back details pending autopsy and formal ID.
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Michigan State Police, the MSP Crime Lab, and the Wexford County Sheriff’s Office are now jointly investigating the scene and the circumstances surrounding the discovery. Officials emphasized repeatedly that they cannot confirm the identity of the deceased until an autopsy is performed. As of Tuesday night, that autopsy had not yet been scheduled.
A location already traversed but not searched.
Reporters questioned why the body was found in an area that had seen heavy foot traffic over the past three weeks. Hunters, hikers, and community members have been in and out of that region, though law enforcement stressed it had not been part of any formal search grid.
Asked whether the body could have been placed there recently, investigators refused to comment.
Law enforcement also declined to say whether any arrests had been made but added, “We don’t believe that the citizens at large are in danger by any stretch of the imagination.” They also said they hoped that this discovery would “bring closure to this awful incident.”
Fiancé and sister in custody.
According to police records, Park’s fiancé, Richard Falor, who has been identified in media reports as the ex-boyfriend of Park’s mother and a registered sex offender, is currently in custody at the Wexford County jail but it’s unknown what the charges are. He was booked approximately two hours before the press conference on Tuesday, November 25. Park’s sister, Kimberly Park, is also in custody.
Unanswered questions about the baby.
Park was approximately 38 weeks pregnant when she vanished. During a joint press conference with the Wexford County Sheriff’s Office and Michigan State Police, a reporter asked directly about the condition or whereabouts of the baby. Law enforcement said answers would not come until after the autopsy.
Community on edge, waiting for answers.
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The discovery of the body brings a grim turn to a case that has gripped the region for three weeks. Park’s disappearance triggered large volunteer search efforts, extensive media coverage, and widespread concern for both the expectant mother and her unborn child. As investigators process the scene and wait for the medical examiner’s findings, the community is bracing for what comes next. With so many unanswered questions surrounding Park’s final hours, the baby’s fate, and how the body went undiscovered for so long, residents can only wait for the autopsy to provide the clarity law enforcement has yet to give.
